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Art Nouveau Inkwell and Pen Holder signed R. Elias - Young Woman with Flowers
€185Bid from €166.50
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ProfessionalProduct description
A young woman appears among the flowers, her face slightly tilted, her gaze peaceful. Her hair mingles with the stems and foliage that run across the metal, as if her portrait was born directly from nature. We are around 1900, when decorative arts embraced vegetal forms and the female figure to transform familiar objects. Here, even writing becomes a pretext for beauty. The tray adopts supple and irregular lines. The flowers rise in relief, the curves echo each other and naturally draw the eye towards this delicate female profile, the true heart of the composition. A flower tucked into her hair completes this dreamy silhouette, emblematic of the aesthetic of this period. Alongside it sits the thick faceted glass inkwell, topped with its floral lid. Its transparency catches the light and contrasts with the deep patina of the metal, giving the whole a particularly elegant presence. The pen is still there, placed where it was intended to be. This simple detail restores to the object its full history: that of desks where people still took the time to write, of carefully considered letters, of words traced in ink before being entrusted to their recipient. The signature R. ELIAS discreetly appears in the decor, associated with Robert Elias, several of whose decorative creations from this period are known today. Although his biography remains poorly documented, his works perfectly embody the ambition of 1900s designers: no longer separating the useful from the beautiful. More than a century has naturally left its mark. The metal now boasts a beautiful antique patina whose nuances highlight the flowers, curves, and movements of the hair. The glass inkwell, its lid, and the pen holder form a particularly appealing ensemble. Ultimately, it is no longer just an object designed to hold ink. It is the memory of an almost forgotten gesture: picking up a pen, choosing one's words, and leaving behind a few handwritten lines. A very beautiful antique desk piece, decorative and poetic, which retains all the charm of early 20th-century creations. France, circa . Patinated metal, faceted glass inkwell, lid, and pen holder.
Additional details:
- Brand: R. Elias
- Designer: Robert Elias
- Period:
Specifications
ConditionVery goodMaterialMetal, GlassStyleArt Nouveau
Seller information
About this seller
ProfessionalSaint symphorien des bois, FranceOn Whoppah since August 2026 • 0 sales